The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Penstemon, botanically known as Penstemon hartweggi, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Pheni Magna’. The new cultivar originated from a hybridization made in 2002 in Gilroy, Calif. The female parent is a proprietary Penstemon plant designated ‘110-1’ (unpatented), having red flowers and the male parent is a proprietary Penstemon plant designated ‘112-1’ (unpatented), having lavender flowers. The seeds produced by the hybridization were sown in November 2002, and the resulting seedlings were selected in May 2003. A single plant selection was chosen for further evaluation and for asexual propagation in the summer of 2003.
The new cultivar was created in 2002 in Gilroy, Calif. and has been asexually reproduced repeatedly by vegetative cuttings and tissue culture in Gilroy, Calif. over a three-year period. The plant has also been trialed at Gilroy, Calif., and Hillscheid, Germany. The present invention has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive asexual propagations.
Plant Breeder's Rights for this cultivar were applied for in Europe on Oct. 14, 2005 and in Canada on Mar. 29, 2005.